About 1,000 people spent the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday seeing the new movie about a touchstone moment in the civil rights movement.

People lined up at Overland Park's Cinetopia theater to see the Oscar-nominated drama "Selma," which offers a behind-the-scenes look at the 1965 civil rights march in Alabama.

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Former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Shawn Barber helped young people get into the movie for free, saying the movie touched him and many other civil leaders. He said he hopes the gift of movie tickets can provide a valuable history lesson for today's students.

"After watching the movie 'Selma,' it added details," Barber said. "Now it's a burning image in my mind as far as how far we've come with the civil rights movement."

Michelle Pope said she brought a group of students to see the film.

"It's something they've never had to experience, like it was back in the 60s," she said. "I think it's important they understand where they've come from so they can help change the future."

"I wanted to make sure my children understood the legacy and understood for themselves and how it affects them," said Latheresa Brown.

"They need to know where they come from before they know where they're going to," said Jackie McGlothen, who brought her grandchildren to the movie. "That's the most important thing that they learn, where my era has come from."

Barber said King has been an inspiration.

"I love Dr. King's message that if you can't fly, you should run, and if you can't run, walk, and if you can't walk, crawl," Barber said. "Do whatever you have to do to keep moving forward and that spoke volumes in my heart."

Organizers provided six free showings of "Selma" at Cinetopia Monday.

They said they hope to arrange additional screenings in Kansas City's urban core to help young people who didn't have transportation to see the movie in south Overland Park.